Locally owned since 1867
City budget takes shape By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Iola’s 2021 spending plan is slowly coming into focus. City Council members spent the better part of two hours Monday hearing budget proposals from Iola’s various department heads, with a familiar refrain. Capital expenditures are largely flat across the board, with a bulk of the budget increases earmarked for salaries. Their proposals incorporate a recently completed wage study to up payroll by about $450,000. And, as Interim City Administrator Corey Schinstock noted, roughly half of that pay hike can be covered with leftover reserves from the city’s employee benefit fund, put in place when Iola was self-insured. Plus, the rest of the raises could be covered with carryover funding from within each of the departments, Schinstock said. “I was pleasantly See SALARIES | Page A6
Legion baseball scores two victories
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KS labor secretary steps down
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Dealing with empty nest syndrome PAGE A5
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
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Marching on: ‘If not me, who?’ By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
A little over two weeks ago, Iola was host to a Black Lives Matter Solidarity rally, joining over 2,000 communities nationwide that have rallied to stand against racism. The marches and protests continue, as the recent death of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot to death by a police officer outside an Atlanta Wendy’s on June 12, and the commemoration last Friday of Juneteenth, which celebrates Black emancipation, keep our national conversation fixated on racism and injustice. America has seen its share of outrage sparked by the unjust death of African Americans. This time, though, it feels different. Large numbers of white Americans have participated in events where their presence has, in the past, been secondary. The crowds now marching across the country reveal a rainbow of skin colors. And while the outcomes
The Schowengerdt family, from left, Noah, Daniel, Nicole and Bella, have become activists in the past month, attending marches, creating petitions and having honest conversations with family and friends. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER secured by this multiracial coalition are still to be determined, its very existence is notable, and for some, signs of hope for a moment of national reckoning.
Daniel and Nicole Schowengerdt of Iola have joined the cause, taking an increasingly active role in fighting for racial justice. Over the past month, they’ve attend-
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ed several marches, created an online petition that has amassed signatures from 28 See ACTIVISTS | Page A3
Bowlus prepares to go on with the show By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
The shows will go on, but very carefully and with safety in mind. The Bowlus Fine Arts Center plans to move three shows to the fall, after being postponed from this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. New shows also are being planned for the next season, but with lower expectations on ticket sales and revenue. Additionally, the Bowlus will add numerous social distancing restrictions for events, including a reduction of seating capacity to 25%, or just 200 seats, and other precautions. Bowlus director Daniel Kays presented a budget for fiscal year 2020-2021, highlighting numerous changes that he called “The COVID Factor.” “The budget is reflective of the unprecedented times,” Kays told the USD 257 board
USD 257 recognized teachers who are retiring and gave its “Teachers of the Year” awards. Retiring are, from left, Mark Percy and Daniel Berg. “Secondary Teacher of the Year” is Mark Boyd. Not pictured is Christina Boyers, “Elementary Teacher of the Year.” REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS of trustees Monday evening. “The budget is being presented as conservative and cautious given the unknowns.” That means holding the line on salaries and capital
improvement projects. It includes a 10% expected decrease in funds from private trusts, lower expectations for ticket sales and the cancellation of several programs.
Shows for the new season have not yet been announced, but Kays anticipates about 23 events, plus the three events postponed from the spring. That includes seven “cultural attractions,” two recitals, two symphonies and about a dozen educational shows such as for students and schools. The three events that are expected to be rescheduled are the Children’s Summer Theater Workshop in July, the “Stunt Dogs Experience” Aug. 16, Albert Cummings Sept. 18. Another show, “Anne of Green Gables — The Ballet,” was rescheduled for Oct. 22 but now it appears that show may not happen. Those who have tickets can use them for the new date, if it occurs. Single ticket holders who cannot use them could ask for a voucher for another performance, donate the tickets or ask for a refund. A couple of community events, such as the high school play and a dance recital, could possibly be offered at some See DISTRICT | Page A6
Trump administration extends visa ban Kentucky braces for long WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday extended a ban on green cards issued outside the United States until the end of the year and added many temporary work visas to the freeze, including those used heavily by technology companies and multinational corporations. The administration cast the effort as a way to free up jobs in an economy reeling from the coronavirus. A senior official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity predicted it will open up to 525,000 jobs for Americans, a claim that was immediately Vol. 122, No. 166 Iola, KS 75 Cents
challenged by critics. The ban, while temporary, represents a cut to legal immigration on a scale that had eluded the administration before the pandemic. Longterm changes that would prevent many asylum seekers from getting work permits and would allocate high-tech worker visas differently are also being sought.
Business groups pressed hard to limit the changes, but got little of what they wanted, marking a victory for immigration hardliners as Trump seeks to further solidify their support ahead of the November election. The ban on new visas, which takes effect Wednesday, applies to H-1B visas, which are widely used by major American and Indian technology companies, H-2B visas for nonagricultural seasonal workers, J-1 visas for cultural exchanges and L-1 visas for managers and other key emSee VISAS | Page A2
lines in primary election LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — With only one polling place designated Tuesday for Louisville, a city of 600,000 people, voters who didn’t cast mail-in ballots or show up early could face long lines in Kentucky’s primary, the latest to unfold as the pandemic triggers unprecedented election disruptions across the country. The outcome of a competitive Democratic U.S. Senate primary could hang in the balance if Election Day turnout is hampered
in Louisville — the hometown of Charles Booker, who’s mounted a strong late challenge against presumed front-runner Amy McGrath. “If Charles Booker barely loses, I think the integrity of that election is in question,” Republican state Rep. Jason Nemes said Monday. The primary’s winner will go against Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who isn’t expected to see a serious GOP primary See VOTING | Page 3